Speed Demos Archive (SDA) may not be a household name to readers of the Prevent Cancer Foundation blog, but the group’s latest five day, round-the-clock marathon raised over $53,000 for cancer prevention and early detection. The marathon titled, “Awesome Games Done Quick” (AGDQ), took place from January 6-11 in a Chevy Chase, MD 4-H community center but included participants and donors from around the country and around the world (Argentina, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia). This is SDA’s second marathon for charity and thanks to the group’s strong fan base and loyal supporters, the donation to the Foundation was large enough to fund half of a two year cancer prevention research grant. This outstounding total is the result of the generosity of over 3,700 marathon donors with an average gift of $16: proof positive that even the smallest gift can make a big difference in the battle against cancer!
(From Left to Right) Mike Uyama, Jan Bresch, Linda Chastain, Chip Vogel and Timothy Peters at the Prevent Cancer Foundation offices.
Mike Uyama of Speed Demos Archive reached out to the Foundation’s Senior Director of Special Events Linda Chastain in late October 2010 about the marathon. He, along with fellow organizers Chip Vogel and Timothy Peters, had done their homework about the Prevent Cancer Foundation beforehand. “After working with a large charity for our first AGDQ marathon, we wanted an organization that was closer to home and one that could tell us where our donations were going,” said Uyama. “The Prevent Cancer Foundation has been very supportive every step of the way, and they even went out of their way to mention us in their newsletter and on their Web site’s home page.”
Foundation Executive Vice President and COO Jan Bresch and Linda Chastain met with Mike and his family, Chip and Timothy for a check presentation recently. “At first, this was all Greek to me,” said Ms. Bresch. “But the commitment and enthusiasm that Mike, Chip, Timothy and the Speed Demos Archive players made to the marathon in support of cancer prevention and early detection was an inspiration.”
When asked at the check presentation ceremony what advice they would give to gamers that wanted to hold a similar fundraiser, Mike said, “Don’t be discouraged. We have a large following that helped us raise as much as we did. It might take awhile but don’t give up if it is for a good cause.”
The Prevent Cancer Foundation thanks Speed Demos Archive and all SDA’s players and donors for their incredible support. Speed Demos Archive has sent us “Awesome Games Done Quick – Done Quick” which spans the whole marathon, with a fundraising tally, in a little over 3 minutes. Enjoy!
1 Comment
Zees Heart
Way to go! I watched this for many hours, during the marathon and was so pleased with the amount of people wanting to participate. During the games, they guys would offer prizes from a drawing of donors. My son built/made many of those prizes and was thrilled to be able to help such a great cause. I look forward to the next online marathon. Again, Awesome job, Everyone!